How to Write a Strong Research Abstract: Key Things to Consider

If there is one part of your research work that gets the most attention at first glance, it's the abstract. Think of your abstract at the shop window of your study.

Your abstract is a short, precise summary of your work, that tells your readers what your work is all about. It tells them why they should care about it.

However, many students treat it like an afterthought or overcomplicate it.

You want to know the truth? A well written abstract can help your research stand out, while a poorly written one can make a strong work look weak.

The question now is, what exactly should you consider when writing an abstract for your project work?

1. Introduction/Context: Start by briefly introducing the topic. What is the issue your work addresses? This isn't the place for long background stories, just a crisp sentence or two to set the scene.

2. Purpose of the study: Clearly state the purpose of your research. What questions are you trying to answer? This is when you move from "This is the problem," to "This is why I studied it."

3. Motivation/Rationale: Why does this research matter? What gap in knowledge or real world issue motivated you to carry out this research? This helps to expatiate on the fact that your study is not just an academic research, but a real life work with significance.

4. Methods Used: Briefly describe how you carried out the research. Was it survey, experiment, case study or Machine Learning model? Keep it short, but specific enough for readers to understand your approach.

5. Findings/Results: Summarize the key outcomes of your research. What did you discover? Don't go into all the details, just give highlights, giving a sense of what your data revealed.

6. Conclusions: Wrap it up by stating the implications of your findings. What do your result mean? How do they contribute to knowledge or practice in your field?

Other Key Considerations

• Keep it concise, as most abstracts are between 150 words to 350 words.
• Write it last!
• Avoid Jargons
• No citations
• Keep it clear, structured and purposeful

Writing a strong abstract is about balance. You need enough detail to inform, but not so much that it becomes overwhelming.

If readers find your abstract compelling, they'll want to read your full work. Isn't that what we all want? **Winkzzz*

See a sample abstract for the project topic; "Predicting fake news using Machine Learning: A case study of Nigerian Online Media" below:

The example ticks all the boxes;

• Introduction/Context: Fake news as a global challenge.
• Purpose: To design and evaluate a machine learning model.
• Motivation: Societal and political effects of fake news.
• Methods: Standard ML methodology.
• Findings: LSTM out performed others.
• Conclusion: ML's role in fighting misinformation, and recommendation for further studies.

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